Toad

One that comes to mind is Stone Temple Pilots cover of "Dancing Days." I like it much better than Led Zeppelin's original ... which is almost painful for me to listen to.

Eplicon

The Byrds's cover of "Mr. Tambourine Man" and Peter, Paul, and Mary's rendition of "Blowin' in the Wind." Both great Dylan songs.

benedict

I prefer April Wine's cover of 21 Century Schizoid Man to the King Crimson original: it is fairly faithful but with less noodling and works all the better for it, IMNSHO.

raithen

Apoptygma Berzerk - "Fade To Black" (orig. Metallica)
Assemblage 23 - "Love My Way" (orig. Psychedelic Furs)
Bigod 20 - "Like A Prayer" (orig. Madonna)
Hate Dept. - "Planet Earth" (orig. Duran Duran)
Mythos & DJ Cosmos - "Send Me An Angel" (orig. Real Life)

-matt

Krug

Aztec Camera - Jump (Van Halen)
Travis - Baby One More Time (Britney Spears Original)

Toad

That song Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson is good. Then these little brat, punk kids cover it, and make it horrible. Covering songs is a tricky business.

Penny Lane

Red House Painters' "All Mixed Up" is much much much better than the original version by the Cars ( I think that's right).

Applejack

Cake - I Will Survive

Wormwood

Fiona Apple-Across The Universe


Btw, there was this guy on The Tonight Show the other night who sang this song and he totally butchered it.

gilbertr76

Definitely! One of my all-time favorite club tracks!

Burnt Alive

Uh...Fiona Apple better that The Beatles?!

RaMMaR

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Little Wing {Jimi Hendrix}
Concrete Blonde - Crystal Blue Persuasion {Tommy James & The Shondells}
UB40 - Red Red Wine {Neil Diamond}
Huey Lewis & The News - It's Alright (a cappela) {Curtis Mayfield}

Wormwood

Lemme guess, a Beatle fanatic? I didn't say she was better than the Beatles. I said I prefer her version of Across The Universe, and if you don't like it then that's your problem.

db27

All the covers that Metallica have done and made there own.

SRV, voodoo child, and little wing

I love covers, I like to see bands create a "new" version of an old tune.

I don't like covers that sound exactly the same, most of the stuff from the "IamSam" soundtrack sound far too much like the original versions for my tastes.

If you're gonna do it, make them your own.

Peat

Back Together Once Again - By 4play

hotaru_san

tori amos - Landslide
travis - Baby One More Time

Gdrlv

This cover does circulate on the Net as a Travis song, but I'm pretty sure it was actually done by Fountains of Wayne. The cover is way better than the original though.

I also really like the Gourds hillbilly version of "Gin & Juice". I don't know if it's "better" than Snoop's version, but it's one of the most fun tunes I've ever heard.

hotaru_san

http://www.danchan.com/daily/2000/07/30/travis.htm

That's the song that I have.
The band you mentioned may have covered it, too I don't know.

ViewAskewbian

nina simone - don't let me be misunderstood
elvis costello - don't let me be misunderstood
tori amos - '97 bonnie and clyde
jersey girl - bruce springsteen

to name a few . . .

Alyoshka

While both versions are spectacular, I think that Jimmi Hendrix did a better version of Bob Dylans, "All Along the Watchtower".

BigPete

Pat Boone - Crazy Train

Ahmet & Dweezil Zappa - Baby One More Time

Ozzy Osbourne & Dweezil Zappa - Stayin' Alive

mllefoo

Ooh, so many to choose from:

David Bowie - China Girl (Iggy Pop did the original)
Iggy Pop - Real Wild Child (originally done by the Crickets)
Sid Vicious - My Way (I'm sure Frank Sinatra had the mafia kill Sid for this )
Bigod 20 - Like a Prayer
Lords of the New Church - Like a Virgin
Country Dick Montana - Like a Virgin
Chameleons - John, I'm Only Dancing (Bowie)
David Bowie - I Can't Explain (The Who)
Fiona Apple - Across the Universe (I know it's blasphemous to think a non-beatles version of a beatles song is good, but frankly the beatles version lacks a little something).
U2 - Unchained Melody (Bono is just so cheesily good with this song)
The Cure - Hello, I Love You (I'm sure Jim Morrison is rolling over in his grave when this song gets played, but Fat Bob was made for this song).
Siouxsie and the Banshees - This Wheel's on Fire
Social Distortion - Ring of Fire
Erasure - Take a Chance on Me
Depeche Mode - Route 66
Bauhaus - Ziggy Stardust

Aghama

Lovage - Sex (I'm a)
Nevermore - Sounds of Silence ....ok, maybe not better but I like it more
ELP - Fanfare for the Common Man

codefree

Damn, I was just gonna say Apple's remake. And yes I saw that nasty job some schmoe on Leno did. Who signs these losers?

Dr_Evil

I agree with the Travis - Baby One More Time

also

Fuel - Breed (nirvana cover)


songs that are just or nearly as good imho:

Travis - Killer Queen (Queen cover)
Fuel - Daniel (Elton John cover)
Marvelous 3 - Reelin in the Years / Always something there to remind me
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - Leaving on a Jet Plane